Oh brother! Man adopted at birth meets long-lost sister for the first time after 77 years
An adopted Black Country man has discovered that he has a long-lost sister after 77 years of living as a single child.
Michael Hanson, 77, from Wolverhampton, discovered his missing sibling after he found lost documents tracing his family lineage back to before the Second World War.
Mr Hanson was born in a military hospital in Tell-El-Kebir, Egypt, to Mary Watkins and Alexander Ward-Simpson, near the end of the war.
When he arrived home he was put up for adoption and was taken to Wolverhampton to be with his new family.
Now, the Wolverhampton man has learned that his sister, 85-year-old Judie Comblin, was born at a military hospital in RAF Cranwell, Lincolnshire, prior to the war.
Mr Hanson said: "It was such a huge shock finding out that I have had a sister all this time. I have always been on my own really, so finding out that that I have this new sibling is really exciting.
"We have had a few conversations by phone and have met up and she is absolutely fantastic. It's overwhelming really. It's made me a more complete person, a definite peace of mind."
Judie Comblin, a mother-of-two with five grandchildren who still lives in Lincolnshire, said: "Oh it's amazing really! The first few times we spoke he was so emotional, all I can say is that he is absolutely lovely and I really wish that I had known him sooner than now.
"It must be even more poignant for Michael as he had grown up knowing almost no biological family, it must be so emotional for him."
Mr Hanson, a retired engineer for the aircraft component manufacturer, Dowty Boulton Paul, has gone on to have two sons, Steven and Stuart, five grandchildren, and now a new sister, two nieces, and four grandnieces.
The retired engineer said: "It's absolutely fantastic really, I started off as just myself and my adoptive parents, I went on to have my own family and grandchildren, and now the family has gotten even larger.
"It's a weird feeling as I was pretty much on my own when I was growing up, but it has given me a really big appreciation for family. It's absolutely amazing."
